


When Life Gives You Lemons...

by WindOfTheWillows17



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Community: HPFT
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-07-12 12:39:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7103806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WindOfTheWillows17/pseuds/WindOfTheWillows17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You make lemonade.</p><p>*Contains HUGE Spoiler to Could Be Always?*</p>
            </blockquote>





	When Life Gives You Lemons...

From a very young age I knew I was different than the other kids, but it never stopped my parents from taking me out and about in our wizarding community. Kids would stare, parents would guide their kids away or tug them in a different direction, doing anything that they could to avoid that awkward silence that would fill the air if their child asked my parents a personal question. 

What made me different than the other kids you ask? I had Cerebral Palsy. Because of this, I wasn’t able to do most things that kids could at the “normal” age, but as time went on things slowly would begin to change. The list of things that I couldn’t do as I grew became shorter compared to the list of things I could do. The only real trouble I had for the longest time was talking, but something I managed to do at a very late age. I knew it was a strain on my parents to have to care for a child who was more like a baby than a typical toddler and then as a child to a preteen. Not to mention as I aged and having to deal with the delays that I had, but they dealt with it as best as they could and I loved them dearly for it

Growing up in a small, but famous family had it’s perks. I was able to grow up with Albus and Rose who had always seen me as just Benji. The way I had always wanted to be seen, but the best part was our families. They showed us what friendship was and for someone like me, it was a great way to learn by example. The other great thing were the stories. Whenever we would get together on a Sunday they would regale us with their heroic tales from their school days at Hogwarts. How Harry, Ron and Hermione scoured the land for pieces of Voldemort’s soul. How my own dad pulled the sword of Gryffindor from the hat and cut the head off of the snake in a single swing, thus allowing Harry to duel Voldemort one last time and bringing peace to the wizarding world. 

I remember the excitement that filled me when I heard these stories. Filling me with not only pride and joy, but with a sense of adventure as I would be heading off to the very school where the battle had taken place. 

The one thing I could always count on as a constant in my life other than my parents were my friends. Albus and Rose. They didn’t see me like other kids saw me. They saw me as Benji, the boy who had a different ability. 

When I was eleven, Headmistress McGonagall made specialized accommodations in order for me to attend school. I would have an aide that would help me get from class to class and my parents and I were given specialized housing at the school in order to meet my needs, but still have the opportunity to attend. 

And when the first day came, I was allowed to ride across the Black Lake in the boats with my fellow first years. The excitement I felt when I saw Hogwarts filled me to the brim with happiness. This would be my home for the next seven years. I would learn to use my magic and control it and people here wouldn’t care about me being different. 

I was wrong however about that last little bit. Some people cared about the “handicapped” child in their midst. 

“I don’t know why his parents just didn’t lock him up in some muggle institute.” One curly haired blonde said as we waited to be taken into the Great Hall to be sorted. The girl next to her giggled and a couple of mean looking boys nodded their approval.

“What a waste of space!” One of the boys said.

“Why don’t you leave him alone!” A young blonde haired boy said to the four of them. The all scowled at him as he turned to me and smiled warmly. I remember smiling back as Rose’s voice filled my ears.

“Are you alright Benji?” She asked. 

I replied with a simple nod. I was far too excited to allow some mean kids to hurt my feelings when I was about to be sorted. Something that I had looked forward to since I learned that I was a wizard. 

When the Great Hall doors opened, my senses were overwhelmed with the warm pungent smells of the welcoming feast and the loud chatter of the older students. Everything I had been told about this room was beyond anything I could have ever imagined in my wildest dreams. I was enchanted, but riddled with nerves as we moved forward, Albus by my side as I slowly made my way to the front of the room. 

My Dad was sitting behind the Professor’s table and next to him, with the largest smile and tears filling her eyes, was my mother. Nervousness invaded my entire body as my name was called. 

“Longbottom, Benji!”

I hesitated for a small second before my feet began to slowly move. Albus linked his arm around mine and helped me up the steps as I held firmly onto his hand. When I sat down and looked out at the crowd of faces watching me, I became even more nervous, but then they all disappeared. 

“Another Longbottom,” the hat drawled as it covered my eyes. “Hmmm...where should I put you? You’ve got a lot of courage I see and a desire to prove yourself, but what is that? You’re not like the other children I’ve sorted. No, you’re definitely different and you’ve overcome many odds and obstacles in your short life.”

The hat went silent for a moment before opening widely at the brim and yelling, “GRYFFINDOR!”

As Headmistress McGonagall pulled the sorting hat off of my head, I saw that the entire room was standing and cheering. I looked back at my parents who both had tears in their eyes as they clapped the loudest of all. I grinned and Rose came up and helped me down the steps and over to the Gryffindor table. 

“Congrats Benji!” She said smiling as I sat down. She ruffled my hair as the kids around me at the Gryffindor table patted my back. 

That day was one of the best one’s that I had ever had at Hogwarts. To feel accepted by all of those around me despite the fact that I had Cerebral Palsy made me really appreciate the life I was given. It made me feel just like everyone else. 

Then it happened. 

I remember being upset with Headmistress McGonagall for not allowing me to do the one thing I had always looked forward to doing when I came to Hogwarts. To fly on a broom. Why did I want to fly so badly? Because I remember vividly how Harry described it as being free from prying eyes, free from words of hate, free from the confines of life. I wanted to fly so I could be free from my disability. 

When I was denied the opportunity during my first and second year and that really had a profound effect on me. So one day, during my third year, I decided to sneak out to the Quidditch Pitch and away from Andy, my aide while everyone was having breakfast I grabbed a broom from the locker rooms and made my way slowly to the pitch. I watched Rose, Scorpius and Albus do this countless times during the games, so I knew it would be a piece of cake. 

As I straddled the broom and pushed off with as much might as I could muster, I saw Rose walking down the lawns towards the pitch. Excitement filled my chest as she spotted me about fifty feet up in the air. Then without warning, I remember feeling dizzy and heard a loud, high pitched scream then everything went black.

Today, I watch my friends and family from above. I’ve watched them grow into the amazing people I knew they always would be. Rose married Scorpius and works as an Auror. Luci married Hugo and she is a very talented Healer who is studying fetal development and heads up an organization to help raise awareness for Cerebral Palsy. 

My father still works as a Professor at Hogwarts and my mother owns the Three Broomsticks. I watch them as they visit my grave on special days of the year. My birthday, Christmas, the day I died. 

I watch them all fondly. Remembering them for who they were and who they have and will become. My heart swells with happiness each time they come to visit me because I know that I am not forgotten. They accepted me for who I was in life and now in death and that is the greatest gift anyone can ever give.


End file.
